W e s t e r n K e nt u c k y U nive r s i t y
D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m mu n i c a t i on
F al l, 20 06
COMMUNIQUE´
Year of Excellence for
Forensic Team (cont’d)
2
Centennial Oratorical
Contest
2
Education, Commonwealth of Kentucky
Haunted Hill Tours
3
Student Success Center
Opens
3
National Forensic
League Opens
Regional Office
4
Larry Winn to Retire
4
Life After
The Apprentice
5
A graduate of the baccalaureate and masters degree programs in communication at WKU, Governor Ernie Fletcher notes
that Laura Owens’ experience and commitment to
accelerating student
achievement makes her a
logical choice for this very
important position.”
Homecoming
5
I
N
S
I
D
E
T
H
I
S
I
S
S
U
E
:
Student Organizations
6-7
Where is Shangri-La?
8-9
New Faculty Profiles
Faculty News
10
Alumni Updates
11
10
Laura Emberton Owens – Secretary of
Laura E. Owens served as
the Commissioner of the
Department of Workforce Investment from
2004-2006 and has served
as Deputy Secretary of
the Education Cabinet
since January, 2006.
A Frankfort resident,
Owens has been involved
in workforce training and
teaching for more than
twenty years. A native of
Glasgow, Owens is married to Donnie Owens,
principal of Elkhorn
Elementary School in
Frankfort. They have a
daughter, son, daughterin-law, and two grandchildren.
Laura Emberton Owens
The Kentucky Education
Cabinet coordinates
learning programs from
P-16, and manages and
supports training and employment functions in the
Department for Work-
force Investment. For
more information about
these programs, visit
www.educationcabinet.ky.
gov or at
www.workforce.ky.gov.
Kentucky Secretary of
Education
Year of Excellence for Forensic Team
On May 10, 2006, the Western Kentucky Forensic Team
was honored with a day of
celebration from Western
Kentucky University, Warren
County and the City of Bowling Green. This day of celebration, marked by a proclamation ceremony, was an
appropriate conclusion to the
2006 competition season.
While the day was meant to
celebrate the team’s many
victories, it was also a recog-
nition of their efforts during
the year. According to the
forensic team’s website, “It
Mike Buchanan and Mayor Elaine
Walker at Proclamation Ceremony
takes heart, substance, and
hard work…” to be apart of
the team and compete. The
team started preparing for
the year’s competition during summer 2006 with the
help of forensic coaches and
other team members.
In February, the team competed at Berea College and
won their sixteenth Kentucky Forensic Association
State Championship title
Continued on page 2
Page 2
Year of Excellence for Forensic Team—cont’d
with more than a 500 point
margin.
National Individual Event
Tournament. At this tourna-
Along with placing first in
the overall team sweepstakes,
the team also brought home
twelve state individual titles.
In March, the team traveled
to Prague, Czech Republic
for the International Forensic
Association World Championship. Competing in individual and debate events,
seven WKU forensic team
members won eight of the
twelve individual world championships.
In April, the team won the
American Forensic Association
sweepstakes award and the
AFA national championship in
dramatic interpretation.
In late April, the team won
the National Forensics Association (NFA) national title.
Forensics students at Proclamation
Ceremony/Reception
ment, Western won its third
national team sweepstakes out
of 92 other schools. The team
earned individual championships in the national individual
While Western Kentucky
Forensic team has won numerous awards this competition year, it was their desire
and hard work that pushed
them to achieve more. With
the 2006-07 season ahead,
Western Kentucky University
looks forward to supporting
the team in future competitions.
Congratulations Vanessa Pierrard!
Recipient of the 2006-07 Ed Robertson Scholarship
CENTENNI AL ORATOR ICAL CONTEST
On Wednesday, April 19,
2006 the Department of
Communication hosted its
annual Oratorical Contest,
incorporating the theme
“The Spirit Makes the Master” in celebration of WKU’s
Centennial. The first two
rounds of speeches were held
in mid-afternoon. The final
round took place at a dinner
for all participants at the
Kentucky Building later that
evening. The final round was
judged by a panel of dignitaries from the University and
the Bowling Green – Warren
County community.
McGraw-Hill Publishing. In
broadcasting student from
his speech, Wright said that
Paducah, finished in third
the phrase, “The Spirit
place and also received a
Makes the Master,” means
$100 cash award.
that “passion,
spirit, and the
ability to overcome adversity
lead to success.”
He used examples ranging
from Theodore
Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, and
the 1950 U.S.
Men’s Soccer
Team to illustrate
Coty Back gives his speech during contest
his speech.
Courtney Wright, a history
and social studies major from
Evansville, Indiana, won the
Centennial Oratorical Contest and was awarded the
$500 first prize, sponsored by
Finishing in second place and
receiving a $100 cash award
was sophomore Coty Back,
an agriculture business major
from Frenchburg. Freshman
Beverly Hill, journalism and
The contest, which was open
to all WKU students, attracted approximately forty
participants.
- - Jessica McClanahan
Communique´
Page 3
HAUNTED HILL TOURS—LEARN
ABOUT THE GHOSTS WHO HAUNT THE HILL
Fall 2006
Student Workers
Friday, October 27th—6-8 p.m.
Sunday, October 29th—6-8 p.m.
Monday, October 30th—6-8 p.m.
& 10-12 p.m.
Tours are sponsored by Lambda Pi Eta
Communication Honor Society
Be prepared to
be scared . . .
Starting at FAC Amphitheater
Adults $5
Kids 12-under $3
WKU Students (with ID) $3
Ghostly tours leave every 15 minutes & last an hour
(Tours are given outside so dress warm)
STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER OPENS
According to an old Proverb,
“Good things do come to
those who wait.” Or for
some, good things do come
to those who have a vision
and are willing to work to
make that vision come true.
Many individuals in the
Communication Department
have worked hard, looked for
funding and physically labored to put together a firstclass, state-of-the-art center
that provides students, faculty and staff with resources
and access to resources that
enable us to develop needed
skills for today’s classroom
and work environment.
According to Dr. Sally Ray,
Department Head, “This
center adds so much to the
already successful communication program as it becomes
a place where students will
feel comfortable working on
their communication classes
assignments.” Dr. Ray also
emphasized the unique opportunity that will allow faculty and students to meet one
Lorin Isaacs
-on-one to review progress,
provide/receive help or simply
to watch a student’s speech
with them in order to help
them build their skills.
The center will provide peer
tutors for students to assist
them with course assignments
and assessments for communication general education
courses. Students with communication majors/minors
will also find the center helpful
as they advance to higher level
classes. Now that advanced
teaching tools have been
added to the department’s
classrooms, such as CommuniCoach, students and faculty
will benefit by having a place
to watch recorded presentations/ speeches. Students can
use the area for self evaluations and faculty can use the
area to help conduct student
evaluations. The availability of
good feedback, critical to student engagement, is always
essential to student learning.
The Communication Success
Shae Manning
Center is located in the Ivan
Wilson Fine Arts Center,
Room 138. There are three
workstations, a printer, a TV
with DVD and VCR capability, a library with communication materials and extra tables
to use for work.
Support for the Center will be
provided by the office staff
located in Room 130. Support
includes scheduling student
appointments in coordination
with peer tutor availability and
the every day management of
the Center. An advisory committee of communication faculty will guide the direction
and development of the Center.
Vanessa Pierrard
Fall 2006
Student Research
Assistant
An open house is scheduled
for Tuesday, October 3, 2006
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Equipment will be demonstrated
during that time. To compliment the open house, the
Communication Department
will host a reception across the
hall in Room 135.
MacKenzie Keaster
Page 4
Volume 1, Issue 1
N A T I O N A L F O R E N S I C L E AG U E
O P E N S R E G I O N A L O F F I C E AT WK U
The National Forensic
League has opened a regional
office at Western Kentucky
University.
The NFL regional office,
located in Garrett Conference Center, will provide
assistance and
support to high
school students
and coaches in
Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and
southern Illinois.
The 2006 national tournament, held June 18-23 in
Grapevine-Colleyville, Texas,
attracted 2,700 students and
1,500 coaches, administrators
and parents and awarded
more than $130,000 in scholarships.
said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Barbara Burch. “Not only
will this office benefit WKU,
but it will increase participation opportunities for high
school students in the region.”
“Billman, will visit schools and
tournaments in the four-state
region to raise awareness about
the NFL’s speech and debate
programs.”
Tyler Billman will
serve as director of
the NFL regional
office. Billman,
who grew up in
Harrisburg, Illinois, and
graduated from Bradley University, will visit schools and
tournaments in the four-state
region to raise awareness
about the NFL’s speech and
debate programs.
“Having the National Forensic League office at WKU
speaks to the high level of
academic quality that WKU
has to offer in its forensics
program in particular, and in
the University as a whole,”
The forensic program, which includes the Kentucky High School
Speech League
office, is housed at
the Garrett Conference Center.
Since its founding
in 1925, the NFL
has enrolled about
1.2 million members in all 50
states and other countries.
More than 93,000 high
school students and more
than 3,500 high school teachers are active members.
D R . L A R R Y J. W I N N T O R E T I R E 2 0 0 6 - 0 7
Dr. Larry J.
Winn has
provided 33
years of outstanding
service as a world class
teacher, researcher, and in
University and Public service. Dr. Winn served 51/2 years as Department
Head, leading the Department in a variety of program initiatives.
benchmark use of technology
in the classroom. Communication majors are well versed,
far ahead of their peers, in
the proper development and
use of PowerPoint.
Additionally, Dr. Winn’s
students have been well
schooled in the use of language and how to write effectively in a number of venues.
Dr. Winn is best known
and deeply admired for his
A meticulous teacher,
thinker, and writer, Dr. Winn
will be sorely missed in a
program in which he
spent his entire professional career.
Later in the fall, a retirement dinner will be arranged for Dr. Winn.
Plans are presently incomplete.
Should you desire to send
a letter of appreciation, or
some other way of honoring Dr. Winn, please
write, call, or email.
Communique´
Page 5
L I F E A FTE R T HE A PPRENTICE
Last year, Charmaine Hunt, a Corporate and Organizational Communication graduate of WKU, appeared on
Donald Trump’s hit show “The Apprentice.” Charmaine made quite an
impression on Donald, as well as the
rest of the world, making Western
Kentucky University and especially
the Department of Communication
proud. Though she didn’t get
“hired,” Charmaine made it to the
final eight contestants out of 18.
Since the show, Charmaine has continued to make quite a name for herself. She has continued to work with
First American Home Buyers Protection where she is the Area Manager in
middle Tennessee. Aside from receiving several sales achievement
awards and being part of the
“President’s Club” with First Ameri-
can, she has taken on the huge task of
starting her own business. Charmaine
is creating www.realtorEsearch.com,
an internet search engine that connects buyers and sellers with Realtors. The website is designed to help
consumers find real estate agents that
will fit their needs, while simultaneously helping real estate agents build
and grow their clientele. The website
is set to officially launch in late fall.
Charmaine not only has kept in
touch with other “Apprentice” candidates, but has also kept in touch with
The Donald himself. Trump has contacted and met with Charmaine about
potential business opportunities in the
near future.
also for Homecoming. She will be
participating in a fundraiser to help
two WKU Alumni raise money for
their 13 month old daughter Layla,
who is in need of a liver transplant.
She will also be helping at the
Communication Department’s
Alumni Tailgating Event.
Charmaine will be back to “The Hill”
soon for the Bowling Green 10k and
- MacKenzie Keaster
HOMECOMING
F ESTIVAL OF F RIENDS
Saturday, October 28, 2006
1:00—
1:00—3:30 DUC South Lawn
Join us for light appetizers and excellent conversation!
Contact Charlotte Elder at charlotte.elder@wku.edu
270-746-6579
Page 6
I N TE R NATIO NA L A SSOC IATI ON O F
B U SI N E SS CO M MU NI CAT O R S
chocolate, candy hearts,
balloons, and other Valentine’s Day memorabilia.
Although the sale did not
bring in huge profits, it did
get IABC’s name out to
other students and helped
out those who were in need
of last minute gifts.
Donna Renaud—
Faculty Advisor
Spring of 2006 was a busy
semester for the members
of WKU’s International
Association of Business
Communicators (IABC)
chapter. IABC strived to
take a more active role in
campus activities, and that
goal was achieved. The
first and most entertaining
event that IABC sponsored
was the Stand-Up Comedy
Competition. As a part of
Communication Week,
IABC set up a competition
that encouraged students to
get in front of their peers
and give their best shot at
stand-up comedy. There
were three contestants; Jason Rowlet, Alex Ison, and
Torrence Douglas that
competed for the grand
prize of $100. The three
performed their individual
acts in front of an audience
of about 50 students and
faculty members. Alex Ison
won the competition along
with $100, and everyone
that was there got a good
laugh out of it all.
IABC soon followed with
another event, a Valentine’s
Day sale, so students could
“communicate their love”
for others. The booth contained small items such as
Since many of IABC’s
members are upperclassmen, the topic of internships needed to be addressed. Towards the end
of the semester, IABC
members had an open
meeting and met with Dr.
Carl Kell to discuss and
share about internship opportunities and experiences.
Dr. Kell enlightened everyone on how to make your
internship a successful experience and the necessary
requirements that had to be
met in order to receive
credit.
IABC
In May, IABC elected their
new officers for the upcoming year. Elections were
held and then followed by a
night of food, fun, and
bowling. The new officers
for 2006 are as follows:
President – MacKenzie
Keaster; VP of Programs –
Vanessa Pierrard; VP of
Projects – Mariah Cole;
Secretary – Lynn Steller;
Treasurer – Pamela Eblen;
VP of Membership – Evan
Gold; Fundraising CoChairs – Andrea Collins
and Jelena Markovic; Webmaster – Jonathon Bucy;
SGA Representative – Johnisa Spence; and Historian
– Jessica Davis.
Lastly, IABC assisted with
the Graduation Celebration
Dinner for graduating communication students. The
dinner was to recognize and
honor those achievements
made by the graduating
seniors, and many awards
were given out including
Outstanding Corporate &
Organizational Communication major, Outstanding
Communication Studies
major, Outstanding Graduate Award, etc. Many were
in attendance, including
Charmaine Hunt, the WKU
Corporate & Organizational
Communication graduate
that participated in the
NBC show The Apprentice,
and Jamie Froedge who
delivered the motivational
speech.
In preparation for the next
school year, IABC members have already met together and begun making
plans for the upcoming
year. IABC had a very exciting Spring semester, and
looks forward to an even
better Fall!
- Mariah Cole
Communique´
Page 7
L A M B DA P I E T A I S O F F T O A G O O D S T A R T
Jenifer Lewis—
Faculty Advisor
The members of the Communication Honors Society known as Lambda Pi
Eta (LPH) are anxious to
start the new school year,
and for good reason. The
minds of eight returning
members, ten new members from last spring, and
Dr. Jenifer Lewis as the
advisor, have started
working and coming up
with exciting programs for
the 2006-2007 academic
year. During their recruitment week of September
11-15, LPH hopes to
bring awareness to their
organization, as well as
acquire many new members looking to be involved within the Communication Department.
LPH is planning to have
their annual Ghost Tours
of campus as their main
fundraiser again this year.
For $5 ($3 with WKU ID
& for children under 12),
you will hear all of the
haunted tales of Western’s
campus. The tours can be
heard on October 27th,
29th, and 30th. With Halloween being the same
weekend as Homecoming,
LPH hopes to attract a
wide variety of participants.
The members of LPH are
excited about attending
the National Communication Association (NCA)
Convention as well. This
year, NCA will be held in
San Antonio, Texas from
November 15-19. Here,
the group looks forward
to meeting fellow honor
society members from
across the country.
So what is LPH doing for
the Department of Communication? The group
not only plans on having
volunteers work in the
brand new Communica-
tion Lab, but they are also
planning on holding two
workshops throughout the
school year. In the fall, LPH
is going to hold a resume’
writing workshop for anyone
who would like to attend.
Here, there will be a speaker
to instruct students how to
perfect the art of resume writing. In the spring, a similar
workshop will be held on interviewing skills. Both of
these are important aspects to
have, especially for graduating
seniors, when going out to
look for a job.
This year is looking to be very
bright for the students within
LPH, as well as the Communication Department as a
whole. For more information
about LPH, please contact
Dr. Lewis at
jenifer.lewis@wku.edu.
COMMUNICATION AMBASSADORS
Jessica McClanahan—
Faculty Advisor
The 2006-2007 Communication Ambassadors are
busy planning a successful academic year. The
Ambassadors will continue to host Speaker’s
Corner, and support
other departmental
events. While the group
already promotes the
field of Communication
and our majors available
to students attending
Western, one major focus
for this year will be to
recruit potential majors
for upcoming years. This
will include recruitment
events and partnerships
with area high schools.
The Ambassadors are
chosen by interview format only during the
spring semester of each
year, and selects a maximum of 20 members.
This year, we are pleased
to have the following
members: Lynn Steller
(Chair), MacKenzie
Keaster (Vice Chair), Mary
McCubbin (Secretary/
Treasurer), Melissa Messer
(Faculty Liason), Angela
Tevis (Public Relations),
Jenna Haugen
(Community Liason), Jordan Dial, Hannah George,
Colleen Mathews, Lauren
Willoughby, Andrea
Collins, Katie Winburn,
Amanda Garmon, Erika
Pedigo, Jared Williams,
Kristen Fort, Michelle Bell,
and Tiffany Graham. Jessica McClanahan is the
Faculty Advisor.
The Department
of Communication
would like to say
“Thank You” to
all the students
who participate in
the student
organizations and
for all the hard
work that is given.
Page 8
WHERE IS SHANGRI-LA?
Dr. Larry Caillouet was on
sabbatical during the spring
semester. He was living in
Beijing, China, doing research
on communication in state
owned and privately owned
Chinese enterprises. His wife,
Diana, joined him there for a
week and together they went in
search of Shangri-La. He
wrote this account of their
search:
After two days of visiting my
new friends in Beijing, Diana
and I set out in search of Shangri-La. Shangri-La was introduced to the world by James
Hilton in his 1933 best seller,
“Lost Horizon” which led to
the classic movie of the same
name by director Frank Capra.
The appeal of this mountain
paradise where the people renounce violence and materialism and live to incredible old
age has endured and given its
name to countless hotels, spas,
and resorts. But where is
Shangri-La?
Many of the details of Hilton’s
description point to an area at
the edge of the Himalayas,
perhaps in Tibet or near the
Tibet-Yunnan border. In fact,
so many details point to the
area of Zhongdian, China, in
the edge of Yunnan province,
the area has officially renamed
itself Shangri-La. So we decided to see for ourselves.
From Beijing we took a night
train to Xi’an, the ancient capital of China in the Great Wall
building days. As the train
rolled to a stop in Xi’an on
Monday morning, there were
two eager Chinese faces smiling through our window and
holding up a sign with our
names on it. They are relatives
of a classmate of a Chinese
friend of mine. That’s guanxi
in action. They met us to take
us to our hotel.
We spent a day at the Terra
Cotta Warriors World Heritage
Site, truly the eighth wonder of
the world. Emperor Qin Shihuang, who united the Chinese
into one nation, built something else to be remembered by
–a tomb with 8000 full sized
terra cotta warriors to serve
him in the next life. Complete
with chariots and horses, archers, foot soldiers, and weapons,
all arrayed around him in battle
formation, it was forgotten to
gage over steps and cobblestones while searching for a
recognizable face in the crowd.
Our new guide managed to
pick us out of the crowd. We
were thrilled and relieved to be
found.
Then I got my first taste of
Shangri-La. We boarded a
boat and spent four hours
cruising on the Dali Sea. We
visited two small islands with
ornate temples and breathtak-
Dr. Caillouet, his wife Diana, and student assistants in China
history until 1974 when a Chinese farmer discovered it while
digging a well. He makes a
comfortable living today by
signing autographs and shaking
hands at the Museum where he
used to farm.
From there we flew to Kunming in Yunnan province and
visited the Temple of 500
Arhats. Then another night
train. Two Chinese couples
helped us find our bunks, and
my appreciation for bilingual
people climbed a big notch
higher.
The train rolled into Dali at
6:30 a.m. Coming down from
the Dali train station in the
dark were a thousand blackhaired people pressed shoulder
to shoulder dragging their lug-
ing views before docking again.
After eating a king’s feast we
went to Dali’s famous Three
Pagodas. Even for folks who
don’t go for that brand of
spirituality, the pagodas sent a
message of peace, patience,
tranquility, and harmony.
We ended the day in the Ancient City of Dali with another
scrumptious Chinese meal that
you can’t get at the All You
Can Eat Chinese Buffet back
home. Throw in the Butterfly
Springs where tens of thousands of butterflies congregate
around you and on you, and
you might make the case that
this is Shangri-La, a land of
lovely people, gentle animals,
almost perpetual spring-like
weather, and a sense of harmony in the air.
Communique´
Page 9
SHANGRI-LA—CONT’D
But no, James Hilton’s novel,
which stamped the name and
dream of Shangri-La on the
world consciousness, described
it as nestled at the bottom of
the world’s most beautiful
mountain. This and some
other descriptions mean that
wonderful Dali is not ShangriLa. Shangri-La is higher in the
mountains, somewhere to the
west toward Tibet.
are mountains and meadows
that fit Hilton’s descriptions
even better. Shangri-La must
be close. We pulled into
Zhongdian, the town that calls
itself, and its hotels, and its
restaurants, Shangri-La. At
10,500 feet above sea level, any
exertion can take a toll on flatlanders, as folks in our part of
Kentucky have been called. As
I looked out the windows I
surveyed a 2-star scene of
some kind of dirty industrial
compound.
Maybe there really is a ShangriLa, Virginia.
It is tempting to conclude that
Zhongdian is Shangri-La, but
some important details don’t
match. If Zhongdian was ever
beautiful, it isn’t today. Streets
are dusty, trucks and other
work vehicles are crude, and
many neighborhoods are ugly.
In Hilton’s “Lost Horizon” he
claimed that people could live
to be 200 years old because
they live in perfect harmony
without strife. Although the
children of Zhongdian are
With dreams of Shangri-La
adorable, the young men are
crashing fast, our new tour
handsome, and the young
guide/translator, a charming
Three Pagodas in Dali
women are strikingly beautiful,
young Tibetan woman with
the
people grow old before
beautiful
long
jet-black
hair
We hired a car and driver and
their time. I saw a grandand a quick smile, suggested
set out for Lijiang, a city famother so bent over from carwe rest a few minutes,
mous for its Jade Dragon
rying
go to one of her faSnow Mountain which has
heavy
vorite
restaurants
for
seven jagged peaks that are
loads on
a
leisurely
meal
of
perpetually covered with snow.
her back
Hot Pot beside a
All the streets and walks are
that her
charcoal fire to knock
paved with large rectangular
face was
the chill off the air,
stones to eliminate mud. Cenbarely
and then take in a
turies of feet have polished the
above
performance
of
Tistones so that facets of the
her waist.
betan
dance,
costume,
stones gleam like silver when
Larry & Diana Caillouet with Tibetan
I saw a
and music. It was an
the sun strikes them. Melted
children at Tiger Leaping Gorge
beggar
on
easy sale.
snow water flows down from
the
street
Black Dragon Pool to supply
The performance was not Hol- who was hideously deformed.
streams
I saw things that don’t belong
lywood slick, but it
filled with
in Shangri-La.
had a charming elegoldfish
ment that I had not
beside the
Some people who have
experienced before.
main
searched for Shangri-La have
At
any
point
in
the
walkways.
concluded that Hilton’s Shanperformance
audiThe
gri-La is not a single place but
ence members could
streets are
a composite of several places
come up on stage
lined with
including the city of Kunming,
and place a white silk
trees and
300 kilometers away, which is
scarf
around
the
neck
Caillouets
with
students
in
Beijing
flowers.
known as the “city of eternal
of
a
favorite
performer.
SomeThe perfect harmony of stone
spring” because of its year
times
children
would
get
onto
walks and bridges, hand carved
round spring-like climate and
the stage to dance with the
wooden doors, moving water,
its 365-day flower growing
performers. They felt as comand trees rustling over all of it
season. I believe that Shangripletely
at
ease
and
secure
as
if
could make you believe that
La is not a spot on a map, but
they
were
in
their
own
home,
you had found Shangri-La.
a place in the heart. It is not
not in a wild kingdom of
an area, but an attitude. It is
strangers and dangers. This is
But there are still some details
not a fertile valley in the high
not a geographic feature, but it
missing, so the next day we
mountains, but a personal vimatches
Hilton’s
description
of
continued up toward the Yunsion of what life can be.
the
people
of
Shangri-La.
nan-Tibet border where there
China and Tibet
Huaqing Hot Springs Garden
Diana being carried up 900 steps at
Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Dr. Caillouet by woven tree at
Three Pagodas
Ladder of knives
Page 10
N E W F AC U LT Y P RO F I L E S
Stacey Gish, M.A., Instructor— Stacey completed a journalism degree
at Northern Kentucky
University before earning
a Master's degree in Communication from Western
in 1999. Professionally,
she has worked in sports
publishing, public relations and training and
development. She has
taught COMM 161 parttime for four semesters
and is excited to be teaching on a full-time basis
this year. Scrapbooking,
reading and the Chicago
Cubs are her passions.
She lives in Russellville
with her husband, Stan,
and her children, Shelby
and Slade.
Angela Jerome, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor— A
native of Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Jerome graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1997
with a B. A. in Corporate
and Organizational Communication and in 1999
with an M. A. in Communication. She went on to
receive her Ph. D. from
the University of Kansas
in 2002, where her studies
focused on organizational
communication and rhetorical studies. While in
Kansas, she taught
courses in Public Speaking, Behavioral Research
Methods, Organizational
Communication, and Effective Business Communication. After receiving
her Ph. D., Dr. Jerome
spent four years working
in the School of Communication at Illinois State
University where she
taught courses in Public
Relations Management,
Campaign Composition
and Message Design, Crisis Communication, Introduction to Communication Theory, and Organizational Rhetoric. New to
Western Kentucky University’s Department of
Communication faculty,
Dr. Jerome will be teaching Business and Professional Speaking, Introduction to Communication
Theory, and Foundations
of Communication during
the Fall 2006 semester.
Her on-going research
projects examine the
apologetic campaigns of
Ford and Firestone, Arthur Andersen, Texas
A&M, Tony Stewart,
Trent Lott, and Coors
Brewing Company.
Glenn Prince, M.A.,
Instructor/Debate
Coach—Glenn is a new
instructor & a debate
coach here at WKU. He
previously competed at
the University of South
Carolina where he won a
national championship in
2004. In 2005, Glenn remained at South Carolina
and coached the national
championship team. He
completed his M.A. from
WKU Dept. of Communication in May, 2006.
Eugenia Scott, M.A.,
Instructor— A native
New Yorker, Eugenia
earned her Masters degree
in Communication in 1998
from Western Kentucky
University. She began her
career at WKU in 1991 as
a staff member in student
affairs. From 1998-2003
she joined the ranks of
faculty and became Division Chair of Liberal Arts
& Sciences at Bowling
Green Community College. Eugenia has returned
to WKU as an Instructor
after an extended three
year absence teaching public speaking course at two
Alabama Community Colleges, Jefferson Davis and
Alabama Southern. She is
extremely involved in her
children's activities, community, and university
activities.
Jennifer Mize Smith,
M.A., Assistant Professor— currently completing her doctoral degree in
organizational communication at Purdue University.
Her dissertation research
focuses on corporate philanthropy, workplace fundraising, and identity construction. More specifically, she is exploring how
charitable giving is talked
about at work and how a
company's espoused philanthropic values might
influence employees' philanthropic identity and
charitable giving behavior.
Faculty News
Dr. Cecile Garmon was the keynote speaker
at the Texas-Mexican Frozen Food Association in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in May 2006.
Her presentation was entitled “Developing an
Effective Multi-Cultural Team.”
Dr. Judith Hoover published a second edition of her textbook, Effective Small Group
and Team Communication with Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005.
Dr. Kumi Ishii presented two papers at the annual meeting of the International Communication
Association (ICA) held in Dresden Germany in
June 2006.
Dr. Carl L. Kell presented the inaugural lecture of the Centering the South Speakers
Series at the Center for the Study of the
American South, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, September 5, 2006. Dr. Kell
lectured on his twenty-five year research project on the takeover of the Southern Baptist
Convention (a three book initiative) with
Build the Walls – Save the Castle – The
Rhetoric of the New Southern Baptist
Convention.
Dr. Jenifer Lewis was recently awarded a
WKU Junior Faculty Grant in the amount of
$4,000 for her research project entitled
"Young People and Campaign 2006." Dr.
Lewis will be collecting data this fall at WKU
and the University of Kansas to examine the
communicative relationship between young
people and candidates in the 2006 mid-term
elections.
Dr. Sally Ray, Head, Department of Communication, will deliver the keynote address
to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Communication Program’s Industrial Board
Meeting, , Daytona Beach, Florida, February
1, 2007. Dr. Ray’s landmark book Strategic
Communication in Crisis Management:
Lessons from the Airline Industry will
serve as the backdrop for her address. As a
prominent authority in the aviation/ aerospace communication field, Dr. Ray will offer
a unique perspective on current aerospace/aviation communication issues and the
fascinating interactions between the airline’s
industry and the flying public.
Communique´
Laura Adams (B.A. Communication)—is Sales Manager for
Executive Inn for the SMERF
(Social, Military, Educational,
Religious, & Fraternal) market.
She prospects organizations seeking a convention location. She
has the second largest market in
the company. Her new found
glory is the Dog Show world.
Michael A. Brown (M.A. Communication) - employed by the
Kroger Co., was recently assigned
to a plant in Layton, Utah for one
year as a Supply Chain Systems
manager. He maintains several
“pet” projects in Louisville, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky.
Ernie Chen (M.A. Communication) — is a Group Managing
Consultant / CEO at ATCEN in
Selangor, Malaysia.
Dianne Conlee (B.A. Communication — is a Front Office
Manager at the Palmer House
Hilton in Chicago, Illinois.”
Page 11
Security). Stephanie brings
with her 10 years of professional HR experience, joining
the Gillette Company in 1999
as Manager Employee Relations, Lexington, NC. In
2002 Stephanie moved to the
South Boston Manufacturing
Facility, with her most recent
assignment there being Manager, Employee Relations
supporting South Boston
Campus (approx. 2000 employees form MTO, R&D,
Value Chain, Purchasing and
Finance organizations).
Mary Beth Frith (M.A.
Communication) — is currently serving as Employee
Relations Consultant for Fifth
Third Bank. She is responsible for the entire footprint in
Tennessee as well as four
major lines of business across
Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky,
and Missouri.
Jamie Froedge (B.A., M.A.
Communication) - was recently appointed to the posiMelanie Kington Evans (B.A.
tion of Vice President of MarCommunication) — married
quee Sales—Dell and HPQ
Mark Evans (WKU ‘02) in Sepfor Emerson Network Power.
tember, 2005. She is currently
pursuing a Masters degree in Col- Jamie will be closely aligned
with all of the Emerson Netlege Student Personnel at the
work Power divisions. He
University of Louisville.
will be located in the Austin,
Stephanie Chaffins Franklin
Texas office. Most recently,
(M.A. Communication) - was
Jamie spent several years with
appointed to the position of Sen- Hitachi, in World Wide Acior HR Manager, Gillette Global
count Management roles reBusiness Unit on June 19, 2006.
sponsible for managing HiStephanie will report to the Direc- tachi’s sales to Hewlett Packtor of Human Resources, Gillette ard. Prior to his time with
GBU and will be based in Boston. Hitachi, Jamie worked for
Stephanie’s primary responsibiliIBM, as World Wide Account
ties will be to manage the Gillette Executive for IBM’s strategic
GBU Training & Development
alliance with Dell.
initiatives/activities, initially workLara Witherspoon Hudson
ing closely with the GOLD team
in completing the transition to the (B.A. Communication) —
married Travis G. Hudson of
new organization, and she will
Austin, TX on April 15, 2006.
also be the HR Business Partner
to the staff functions in Boston
Lori Seifert Inman (M.A.
(Finance, Legal, Strategy & BusiCommunication) — is the
ness Development, Medical &
president/owner of High
Fidelity Communications,
LLC, a Nashville-based creative agency specializing in HR,
employee and healthcare communication. Her services
include communication strategy and brand development,
copywriting, web writing,
scriptwriting, editing, proofreading, research, and print
and web design.
Dana Kuhman (B.A. Communication) —began the
Masters Program in Public
Service Management at
DePaul last fall.
Mitchell McKinney (B.A.
Communication) - joined
the National Communication
Association national office
staff as Director of Academic
and Professional Affairs beginning July 10. Previously,
Mitchell was an associate professor in the department of
communication at the University of Missouri. In his NCA
role, he is responsible for
programming in the areas of
scholarship, research and
teaching, directing professional services, assisting in
discipline advocacy and overseeing research and data collection about the discipline.
He will be working closely
with the NCA Research
Board and Educational Policies Board.
Harold J. Monroe (M.A.
Communication) — serves
as a Consultant with the Organizational Effectiveness &
Engagement Group at Caterpillar which provides consulting for and coordination of
Caterpillar facilities/units
worldwide. “This position
will take me around the globe
and everywhere I go a piece
of ‘The Spirit’ goes with me.”
Amee Meyers (M.A. Com-
munication) — is Associate Director of Alumni Relations at
Washington University in St.
Louis. She started teaching again
this past fall at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis.
Martha E. Newton (B.A. Communication) - Was appointed as
the Director of the Office of
Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, Administrator for Children and Families, on February 27,
2006. In this capacity she directs
all assistance that supports refugee
resettlement within the United
States and is committed to
strengthening programs to ensure
that refugees and others eligible
can participate fully in society and
achieve economic self sufficiency.
Prior to her appointment at the
Department of Human Services,
Martha was the Deputy Under
Secretary for International Affairs
at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Appointed to this position in May,
2005, she led the formulation of
international economic, trade and
labor policies on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Labor. From
2002, she also served as the Associate Deputy Under Secretary and
the Chief of Staff for International
Labor Affairs Bureau. Martha
lives in Oakton, VA with her husband and five year old son.
Laura Emberton Owens (B.A.,
M.A. Communication) — currently serving as Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of
Kentucky. “Whether speaking to
large crowds or testifying to Senate subcommittees I am always
grateful for my WKU communication background.”
Ruslan ‘Roo’ Totrov (M.A.
Communicaiton) — is currently
a General Manager of a wellknown Russian soccer club
‘Alania’. His main duties are organizational development and
restructuring. “I’m pursuing my
dream of working in professional
W es t er n K en t u ck y
U n i v er s i t y
D ep a r t m en t o f
C o m mu n i ca t i o n
130 Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center
1906 College Heights Blvd. #21029
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Phone: 270-745-3296
Fax: 270-745-3295
We’re on the Web!
www.wku.edu/Dept/Academic
/AHSS/Communication
Fall 2006 Upcoming Activities:
October 2, 2006
British Debates - 6:30 in Garrett Conference Center Ballroom
October 3, 2006
Communication Success Center Open House - FAC 135 - 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
October 11, 2006
Poetry Slam celebration with Bowling Green’s Greenhouse Poetry, Inc.—Garrett
Theater @ 7:00 p.m.
- Co-sponsored by Communication Ambassadors & Greenhouse Poetry, Inc.
October 28, 2006
Homecoming—Alumni Tailgating tent - DUC South Lawn - 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
October 27-30, 2006
Haunted Hill Tours—Learn about the ghosts who haunt the hill!
Friday, October 27th—6-8:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 29th—6-8:00 p.m.
Monday, October 30th—6-8:00 p.m. & 10-12:00 p.m.
- Sponsored by Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society